Dick Blume / The Post-StandardConstruction vehicles and orange barrels crowd University Avenue as work progresses on the Connective Corridor that will link Syracuse University and downtown Syracuse.

Syracuse, NY – Backhoes and construction barrels have taken over University Avenue as work progresses on phase 1 of the Connective Corridor project.

Contractors one month ago began transforming a five-block stretch of the Syracuse University arterial.

At this point, they are moving water mains, installing new utility poles and putting in temporary walkways to replace concrete ones that will be torn up, said Owen Kerney, deputy director of the city Bureau Planning and Sustainability.

“They’re setting the stage for detailed construction,” Kerney said.

That detailed construction will include new roadways, sidewalks, medians, bike lanes, lighting, road markings and curbs, he said. University Avenue, now one way heading south, uphill toward SU’s Hall of Languages, will become a two-way street.

The work also include extensive landscaping and new street trees, he said.

The University Avenue portion of the project is expected to cost $5.5 million, paid by the state and Onondaga County, Kerney said. The roadway work is expected to be substantially complete this year, although some landscaping may be done in 2012. Barrett Paving Materials is the general contractor.

A similar sum is expected be spent as work takes place on East Genesee Street and Forman Park, completing phase 1, he said. That money is coming from federal and city spending, he said.